Husband charged in murder of wife. Broward detectives say he dumped the woman’s body
A husband is facing a murder charge after police say he killed his wife and dumped her body — days before he reported her missing, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Ernest Gordon, 44, is now being held in Broward’s Main Jail without bond.
Gordon reported the 42-year-old mother missing Nov. 7, according to BSO. He said he last saw her around 6 a.m. on Nov. 4 when he went to work. He told detectives she never returned his calls or text messages.
The couple was separated, according to BSO, but shared a home in unincorporated central Broward near Fort Lauderdale.
Several days after she was reported missing, BSO asked for the community’s help in finding Wanda Gordon.
On Nov. 23, BSO’s Homicide Unit took over the investigation.
Detectives learned that two days before she was reported missing, Wanda Gordon returned from Fort Lauderdale beach to her home, the sheriff’s office said.
Using phone records, detectives believe she arrived at her home around 1 a.m. on Nov. 5. BSO tracked her phone traveling west from her home around 4 a.m. to an area near U.S. 27 at the Broward/Palm Beach County line — where it remained until 4:50 a.m.
Around that same time, Ernest Gordon was pulled over by an off-duty Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officer in the area, according to a warrant.
The officer told Gordon that people come to the location and dump their garbage occasionally, BSO said. The officer took a picture of the trash bags in the back of the GMC pickup Gordon was driving before letting him go after warning him about illegal dumping.
Using her phone data again, detectives said Ernest Gordon left the area and drove to Tamarac. On Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, the heavily wooded area of 10601 State St. was searched — which was the last known location of her phone.
Following the search in some waist-deep muddy water, investigators recovered the victim’s cellphone and discovered skeletal remains in addition to several articles of clothing.
Gordon was arrested Friday night in his girlfriend’s home in Lauderhill and denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance and death.
This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 11:17 PM.
